Who We Are – The Passioneers

The facilitators for Passion for Birth are called “Passioneers” and we truly are passionate about offering the best childbirth educator training out there. Every single one of us is an active childbirth educator, a birth doula, and a respected birth professional. We bring a diverse set of skills and different personalities but one thing is for sure – we are all capable and ready to help you become a confident childbirth educator with a large toolbox full of creative activities and effective learning tools to support families worldwide.

Teri Shilling, MEd, LCCE, FACCE, IBCLC

Teri is an internationally certified birth doula, a DONA International approved birth doula trainer, an internationally certified childbirth educator, and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Teri is Lead and Auxiliary Instructor for the Simkin Center Birth Doula Skills Workshop She’s on a mission to stomp out boring childbirth classes. She’s the Creative Executive Officer of Passion for Birth.

Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA) BDT(DONA), CLE, LCCE, FACCE

Sharon Muza loves teaching – whether it be to new childbirth educators, expectant families, doula trainees or health care professionals, The challenges of delivering material that is applicable, memorable, creative and fun provides Sharon so much satisfaction! Since 2004, Sharon has been doing just that in Seattle, WA, where she lives with her two daughters and fantastic golden retriever Katie. Sharon also keeps busy attending births and writing professionally for Science & Sensibility and other sites. Recognized as a dynamic international speaker, Sharon always delivers evidence based information in a way that leaves her audiences feeling more confident and excited about the work they do in the field of maternal infant health. Find out more about Sharon on her website.

Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH, AdvCD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE

Robin is a long time Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and has been teaching with Passion for Birth for over ten years. She lives in Louisville, KY where she teaches Lamaze classes, attends births as a DONA Certified doula, and teaches at a local university about maternal child health. She’s written eleven books on pregnancy, birth, and parenting and you only have to talk to her once to realize that helping families around the time of birth is her calling. Her website: RobinEliseWeiss.com

Ann Tumblin, BA, LCCE, FACCE, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA)

Ann has taught childbirth classes since 1979 in both independent classes and for a hospital system where she was a part-time employee. She has helped train and mentor new childbirth educators for over 25 years in both in the US and throughout the world. She is one of the more experienced DONA Birth Doula Trainers. She has helped hospitals set up doula programs. She lives in Topsail Beach on a beautiful barrier island in NC where she volunteers with the sea turtle project and docents at the local historical museum. She plays tennis almost every day and enjoys reading. She has two sons, two daughter-in-laws, and five grandchildren for whom she helped birth and provide postpartum care. Learn more about Ann on her website.

Liz Lull, CD(DONA), LCCE, BDT(DONA), IBCLC

Liz is a DONA certified birth doula and doula trainer, a Lamaze®-Certified Childbirth Educator & trainer, and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, trained through University of California, San Diego, where she is also an instructor of lactation studies. She believes that every person who is fortunate enough to become pregnant has the wisdom and instincts within themselves to birth their baby, in the way that feels most instinctive and intuitive. However, our society often makes this difficult to do with confidence and without fear, bombarding us with negative images and horror stories surrounding birth. This translates into parenting, as families rely on advice that often conflicts with their own instincts. She founded Enlightened Mama, to offer a safe space for families to get a quality education, connect with others, and feel confident throughout their journey of parenting.Enlightened Mama is designed to help families have positive birth and breastfeeding experiences, as they define them, and to begin parenthood with confidence. She lives in St. Paul, MN with her incredibly supportive wife and four fabulous children, who inspire and humble her on a daily basis. Find more at www.enlightenedmama.com

Rina Crane, AdvCD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE

Rina Crane is a native New Yorker. She is a homemaker for her husband and two children born in 2004 and 2007. She is truly passionate about labor and birth and is thrilled to share this passion along with her knowledge and experience. She strives to help families learn about birth and about their ability to advocate for themselves before, during and after labor.

Rina was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Certified Childbirth Educators in 2015 and is an advanced certified doula through DONA International. She is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and a DONA-Approved Birth Doula Trainer.

She is a founding member and Director of the NYC Doula Collective and the founder and coordinator of volunteer doula programs for the underserved in New York City. Rina loves bringing her passion for birth into the classroom.

Connie Sultana, BA, CD/BDT(DONA), ICCE, LCCE

Since 1993, Connie has facilitated hundreds of childbirth classes and attended over 700 births in New York City, Cleveland, Missouri, and California. She has facilitated childbirth classes in several hospitals, at Birth Centers, in doctors’ offices, in a free clinic, and in innumerable homes. She has taught teenagers, hospital and birth center couples, Amish families, parents in NYC, private classes and groups classes. Currently, she teaches in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA and the San Francisco North Bay Area. She is a two-time member of the DONA International Board of Directors and is one of their first approved Doula Trainers. After 17 years of having a blast teaching in hospitals and doctors’ offices, she now loves spending time with couples in her independent childbirth classes. She eats too much chocolate and likes to give hugs. You can find her website at: conniesultana.com

Jesse Remer CD/PCD(DONA), BDT/PDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE

Jesse is a certified Lamaze instructor and teaches in a wide variety of settings including hospital and private classes. Her Mother Tree classes assist women in experiencing the power of their bodies, hearts, and spirits in the transformation of birth and help partners feel confident about their role in birth. She co-founded Mother Tree Birth Services in 2001 to provide pregnancy, birth and postpartum support for women as well as to help them access their personal power through the birthing process. As a premature two pound nine ounce miracle baby herself, she specializes in supporting families through premature birth experiences and the postpartum bonding. She has educated and supported over a thousand families in classes and with direct care as a doula.

Melissa Harley, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE

Melissa has been a working with expectant families for over 15 years with her business, Capital City Doula Services providing doula services, doula education, and childbirth education to the SE US. She began her doula career in the early 2000’s and quickly became certified with DONA International (2003) and Lamaze International (2005). Teaching childbirth education classes both in small groups (in-home), and large groups (affiliated with a large obstetrical practice), Melissa has facilitated learning for 1000+ couples. As a trainer she has been able to combine her passion for adult learning and mentoring the next generation with her skill, knowledge and experience as a certified birth professional. In 2016, Melissa joined the esteemed group of DONA International Advanced Doulas receiving the credentials of AdvCD(DONA). In her time as a birth doula and childbirth educator, Melissa has also written for several publications including the Bearing Witness Book Series; The DONA Doula Chronicles Blog; and the Lamaze International blog, Science and Sensibility. Melissa has also contributed to Lamaze International’s JPE(Journal of Perinatal Education) reviewing relevant publications for educators and parents. Melissa serves in several birth-related leadership positions including the DONA International board of directors as well as the Lamaze International 2016 conference committee. Melissa and her family (husband and two teenagers) live in North Florida, where she treasures her time on the coast, dark chocolate, red wine, and her time with family and friends.